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Active and passive voice

In active voice the doer acts; in passive voice the action is done to something. Learn to change one into the other.

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Let us begin

The big idea

We can say the same thing in two ways. Ravi ate the apple. The apple was eaten by Ravi. The first sentence is in the active voice and the second is in the passive voice.

In the active voice, the subject (the doer) comes first and does the action: Ravi ate the apple. In the passive voice, the receiver of the action comes first: The apple was eaten by Ravi.

To change an active sentence into a passive one, follow three steps. First, move the object to the front as the new subject. Second, use a form of the verb be that matches the tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Third, add by and the doer at the end, if you want to say who did it.

The form of be depends on the tense. Simple present: is, am or are plus the past participle (The ball is kicked). Simple past: was or were plus the past participle (The ball was kicked). Simple future: will be plus the past participle (The ball will be kicked).

We use the passive when we do not know who did the action, or when the doer is not important: My bicycle was stolen. English is spoken all over the world.

Active and passive swap placesThe top row shows an active sentence in three boxes: Ravi, ate, the apple. The bottom row shows the passive sentence: The apple, was eaten, by Ravi. Crossing lines show that the doer and the receiver swap places.Active Ravi ate the apple Passive The apple was eaten by Ravi The doer and the receiver swap places. The verb becomes be + past participle.
The doer and the receiver swap places, and the verb changes to be plus the past participle.

Worked examples

See how it works

  1. Simple present

    Active: Ravi kicks the ball. Passive: The ball is kicked by Ravi.

  2. Simple past

    Active: Sana wrote a poem. Passive: A poem was written by Sana.

  3. Simple future

    Active: The farmer will plant the seeds. Passive: The seeds will be planted by the farmer.

  4. Leaving out the doer

    The window was broken. We do not know who broke it, so there is no by part.

Try it at home

Swap the sentence

You will need

  • Paper
  • Pencil

What to do

  1. Write five active sentences about things you did today, such as I drank milk.
  2. Underline the doer in each one and circle the thing the action happens to.
  3. Rewrite each sentence in the passive voice: Milk was drunk by me.
  4. Check that the form of be matches the tense.
  5. Read your passive sentences aloud. Which ones sound natural and which sound odd?

Ask a grown-up: A grown-up can check your verb forms.

Practice sheet

Check what you learned

Write your answers in a notebook, or print this sheet and write on it. When you finish, mark your work with the answer key.

Practice sheet: Active and passive voice (Classes 6-8, English)

  1. Is this sentence active or passive? The dog chased the cat.
  2. Is this sentence active or passive? The cake was baked by Mum.
  3. Change to the passive voice: Ravi kicks the ball.
  4. Change to the passive voice: Sana wrote a poem.
  5. Change to the passive voice: The farmer will plant the seeds.
  6. Change to the active voice: The window was broken by the boys.
  7. Fill in with the correct passive form of post: The letters ___ by the clerk yesterday.
  8. Fill in with the correct passive form of grow: Rice ___ in many parts of India.
  9. Which word is the past participle in this sentence? The song was sung by Lata.
  10. Change to the passive voice: Children love stories.
  11. Write your own sentence in the passive voice.

Answer key

Answers: Active and passive voice

Do the practice sheet first, then check here. If an answer is different from yours, read the lesson again and try once more.

  1. Active.
  2. Passive.
  3. The ball is kicked by Ravi.
  4. A poem was written by Sana.
  5. The seeds will be planted by the farmer.
  6. The boys broke the window.
  7. were posted.
  8. is grown.
  9. sung.
  10. Stories are loved by children.
  11. Any correct passive sentence, for example: The room was cleaned by me.

What next

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